The tourism sector has taken a hit in Sri Lanka following a combination of events, including the recent violence in Kandy and now attacks on foreign visitors.

Sources at the Tourism Ministry said that urgent steps are being taken to mitigate the impact the recent incidents will have on the tourism sector.

Hotels in Kandy and even in Nuwara Eliya are suffering from the after effects of the recent violence in Kandy.

The manager at a leading hotel in Kandy said that usually during the April holiday season they record close to 80-90 percent of occupancy.

However this year the numbers have seen a drastic drop with just around 50 percent occupancy recorded following the Kandy violence.

Several countries issued travel advisories following the violence in Kandy and lifted it after the state of emergency was lifted last month.

However despite the assurance given by the Sri Lanka Tourism Devolopment Authority (SLTDA) that the Kandy district has fully returned to normalcy and bans on messaging platforms (WhatsApp, Viber) and Facebook had been lifted, tourists were still skeptical about the security situation.

April is considered the Nuwara Eliya season when both local and foreign tourists flock to the hills.

However most hotels and lodges in Nuwara Eliya, which are usually booked the entire month, saw a drop in demand this year.

Some small hotel operators said that while the Kandy violence had forced some tourists to stay away, water pollution in Nuwara Eliya also contributed in a small way.

As the hotel industry and the Tourism Ministry looked to address the concerns related to the Kandy violence, a fresh issue arose following two incidents where foreign tourists were attacked.

One incident was an attack and attempted rape of a group of Dutch tourists in Mirissa while the other was an attack on a group of tourists from Israel.

Both incidents were reported in the Dutch and Israel media and now threatens to see the issuing of a travel advise by some countries.

Sources at the Dutch embassy in Colombo said that the Dutch tourists who were attacked had not filed a complaint with the embassy over the incident as of last Thursday.

The Police had also sought the assistance of the victims to identify the suspects involved in the incident but had no contact from the Dutch tourists by Thursday.

It was reported that four tourists including a Dutch male and two women were assaulted at the Surf Bar in Mirissa on 8th April when they resisted the suspects attempting to sexually harass the women.

The Police had arrested several suspects over the incident and they were remanded by court.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) had ordered the Water Creatures Beach Guest Restaurant & Surf Bar to be closed following the assault on the tourists.

Last week the Minister of Project Management, Youth Affairs and Southern Development Sagala Ratnayaka said that all hotels operating in Mirissa had been told they must register with the SLTDA.

Ratnayaka held a meeting in Kamburugamuwa with the Police, relevant officials and hotel operators on the incident involving the group of Dutch tourists.

The Minister said that he had advised the hotel owners to strictly follow the law with regards to registering with the SLTDA and also to adhere to the law on the sale of liquor.

Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said that while six individuals had been arrested soon after the Mirissa incident the Police Officer in Charge (OIC) of the area had also been transferred.

He said that the SLTDA had also requested Excise Commissioner to investigate how liquor was sold at the venue without a licence.

The SLTDA was carrying out separate investigations on the legality of the business while the owners and management of the venue had been summoned to Colombo for an inquiry.

The SLTDA had also decided to sponsor and bring down two of the victims from overseas for the Police identification parade.

The Police had also been instructed to beef up security and patrolling of the area with immediate effect.

Amaratunga said that he met with the Police top brass to revamp the tourist Police and ensure a larger presence in key tourist areas.

In addition to the current 11 tourist police posts, 20 new areas had been identified and posts are to be set up at those locations shortly.

The Meethotamulla garbage dump collapsed one year ago killing 33 people. Tragedy struck as the residents of Meethotamulla were preparing to boil milk and welcome the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

Today the residents of Meethotamulla are still haunted by the memories of the disaster and instead of celebrating the New Year they remembered their loved ones killed last year by taking part in religious observances.

“We could not eat even what we prepared for the Sinhala and Hindu New Year. I shiver when I recall what happened that day. I saw the houses collapsing and screamed. About 100 people were there and they ran hearing our shouting. This is a mass murder and those responsible for it, must be punished,” Nalaka, a resident of the area, recalling the incident, said.

One year since the tragedy, while garbage is not dumped at Meethotamulla, steps have not yet been taken to remove the existing garbage from Meethotamulla and take it to another location. Following the collapse of the garbage mountain a dam was built around the dump using soil and it was covered with black paper to prevent another tragedy.

However today the dam is sinking and the garbage seems to be slipping out posing a fresh danger. Angry residents said that they have, as of late, only allowed Provincial Council member SusilKindelpitiya to visit the area since they appreciate his effort in supporting them in whatever way possible while others only seem to make false promises.

A new and emerging threat

The residents said that the walls of a few houses at Dahampura have begun to crack. They said they witnessed a similar scene just before the collapse of the garbage dump last year. The cracks have raised fears that a new danger looms.

The residents of the area have erected a memorial in memory of the 33 victims who were killed when the garbage dump collapsed. The memorial exhibits the identities of the victims. The residents said that while they continue to mourn their loss and fear another danger, a new threat has also emerged in Meethotamulla.

According to the residents, drug addicts have now begun to frequent the Meethotamulla area.The area residents claim that Meethotamulla has also become an ideal location for distilling illegal liquor.

Following the garbage dump collapse, several houses were buried together with other property. Today the windows, bathroom accessories and many other valuable items in several damaged houses which remained following the collapse are missing. The area residents said that while some had been removed by the owners, drug addicts had stolen most of the items to sell and make money. “They try to remove even a brick and sell it,” a resident said.

The residents also said that issues have arisen when granting compensation to those affected by the tragedy. Those who demanded the estimated value of their houses and rejected the houses granted by the Government were subjected to severe injustice. Many of them have not received the estimated value for their houses. They have been told to rent houses until they are granted the estimated value. Consequently, they were granted Rs. 50,000 per month but eventually, the payment stopped. The authorities say the house owners have not submitted the deeds of their lands in order for them to get compensation. The residents, in response to this claim, questioned that when they even could not find the houses they lived in on the day after the collapse, how can they find deeds? Government officials have access to documents, but the affected are unable to find documents in a disaster zone.

It is alleged that granting compensation and alternative houses was politically influenced. Therefore, some members who were in the forefront of the garbage struggle are now silent. During the tragedy, the media and politicians were not able to visit the scene amidst the strong protest of the residents.

Disrupted family ties

The Meethotamulla tragedy displaced hundreds of people. Sampath is one among them. He received compensation for his house but not for his land. “I work in the Municipal Council. I received a small sum and therefore I was able to buy a house far from here. I cannot report to work from that far, so I sleep on roads or at the Municipality on weekdays. Had I received the estimated sum, I could have bought a house nearer to my work place,” he lamented.

Rasika, who has been living at Dahampura, now resides in the LaksadaSevena housing scheme, granted by the Government. His father, wife and one daughter were buried when the Meethotamulla garbage collapsed. He now lives with his two remaining daughters. “I have only these two. I lost everything I had on the day including my job because the garbage dump buried my tools. I sought a new job but am yet to get one. I cannot look after my children properly since the housing scheme has numerous people with suspicious characters,” he lamented.

Many of the Dahampura residents were dependents. The tragedy destroyed their self-employments as well. “We prepared and sold food items for a living. Now we cannot prepare them since we cannot use hearths in the flat. On the other hand, the cost of the gas cylinders today has sky rocketed. Everyone’s income has collapsed now,” a resident said.

Compensation for the vehicles buried in the garbage collapse has also not been paid. Asked for a comment in this regard, we were told that relevant estimates have been sent to the Department of valuation. However the procedure is taking a considerably longer time than expected.

Nalaka, a garage owner in Dahampura, recalling the past said, “I earned a good income earlier. Now I cannot earn that much travelling here from the flat I was given. I did not have even Rs. 50 by April 10 this year. Last year, I earned over Rs. 5,000 per day. I sent my employees on leave for the New Year from April 10 last year. Some days, I earned as much asRs. 30,000 to 40,000. Today, I even did not settle the bill for my mealsat the cafe. Our income now has entirely collapsed.”

“We did not allow any politician to come here in the past. Now some arrive for political mileage. People know who is right. Several houses located at a corner in Dahampura had been removed. Had those remained there over 40 people would have died when the tragedy struck. We escaped somehow. We were sleepless for about a week. If I died who would look after my children,” he asked.

Many residents of Dahampura earn a living by driving three-wheelers. About 95 percent of Dhampura residents own three-wheelers. “The area has about 500 three-wheelers, but we do not have a three-wheeler park. Even I took about half hour to get my three-wheeler on the road once when my child fell ill in the night,” he said.

The ruins in Dahampura have also become ideal breading grounds for dengue mosquitos. Water fills in many places and broken houses hold stagnant water for months.

RahulaVidyalaya nearing closure

Meanwhile, the MeethotamullaRahulaVidyalaya has been the school for down-trodden children in the area. After the collapse of the garbage dump, the children of the school were transfered to the WallampitiyaSchool. They could not afford even half of the books they need. They could not even attend the school near to their homes. Therefore, it is a dream for them to go to Wellampitiya. The RahulaVidyalayahad 104 students and about 20 students were parentless. SusilKidelpitiya said that he informed the provincial Governor on the situation of these students in writing and he has been informed that a discussion will be held in this regard.

While we were in the area, a meritorious event is in progress organised by the residents in the name of the dead in the Meethotamulla tragedy. The monk at the event preaches the participants that everything is mortal all have to suffer their actions. The monk preaches further not to remorse over what had already occurred but gather merits for the future.

Garbage belongs to Provincial Councils. An authority functions under the Provincial Council to manage solid garbage. Therefore, the Provincial Council should be blamed for the fault. They have not taken any action so far in this regard. The council must take responsibility in maintaining garbage and using the Meethotamulla land usefully for the people. Otherwise, illegal settlers will reclaim the land.

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Government’s response inadequate

Provincial Council member SusilKidelpitiya says the Government has not carried out adequate inquiries on the Meethotamulla tragedy. He said that as a result, Meethotamulla residents are facing social, economic and political issues and the garbage dump has polluted the environment in the area and changed their lives forever. They have not yet been paid compensation for their buried assets and the procedure in this regard is suspicious. Those who have political support receive compensation while the innocents undergo numerous difficulties to get their compensations, the councilor said. Had the tragedy stuck in night, the death toll would have increased,” he pointed out.

Addressing the provincial councilors, Kidelpitiya said that the Meethotamulla garbage dumps belong to the Provincial Council. Therefore, he said, that the Council should be blamed for the garbage dump collapse. He stated that the Provincial Council formulated the policies of the council in accordance with the 13th amendment to the constitution. “We have to understand the system to point a finger at the wrongdoer,” Kidelpitiya said.

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Garbage dumped carelessly

Environment organisations point out that careless garbage dumping has become an island-wide issue today. Garbage dumps are found in many areas of the country now. National coordinator of the Environment and Nature Studies Centre RavindraKariyawasam said that the Meethotamulla tragedy could hit again anywhere in the country. He said that leaders of the country are clueless about the garbage issues.

“Politicians take advantage of even the dead bodies in the Meethotamulla tragedy and many of the affected did not receive promised compensation to date. The government has no vision to use garbage for the development of the country. They could use the garbage to produce carbonic manure. Instead, they use even the garbage to get bribes. The whole country has become a garbage mountain now,” Dr. Ravindra said.

He said these fraudsters cannot hide Meethotamulla mass murder. The same fate will fall on future victims of the collapses of garbage dumps throughout the country. Meanwhile, politicians are sacrificing Mother Nature without taking effective measures to solve the garbage issue that pesters the country, he said.

Drug dealing, illegal trade and fraud are just some of the activities said to be taking place in the Pettah and Fort area. The Sunday Leader visited the Pettah and Fort areas last week and we were briefed by the Police on some of the activities they have uncovered.

Among the issues faced by Colombo Fort is the issue of homeless people. The Police said that the streets in the area have become a temporary home for the homeless. At night people can be seen sleeping along the pavement using boxes or sheets as a cover. This however has resulted in a security situation for the Police as the lives of the homeless and that of others can be at risk at night.

As the sun sets both female and male sex workers take to the streets and are seen in dark corners looking for customers. While some of these sex workers are residents of the adjacent areas there are others who travel to Fort at night telling their families that they are on night duty, Police sources said. They arrive in Colombo Fort at night and return to their suburban homes in the morning.

The Sunday Leader met two of these young girls who engage in sex work during the night along the streets of Fort and Pettah.

One of them had taken up this profession as her husband had died of an accident when she was just 19 and she was forced to take up this profession due to the circumstances she was facing. “I have a 29 year old son who is disabled and I have no help from anyone and this is the only profession I can engage in that will allow me to earn a living so I could take care of my son.”

There are many who have come under the brutal attack of the Police as well, but they have no choice but to endure these harassments as they have nowhere else to go.

Lodges in Pettah

Earlier there used to be many lodges in the Fort area but the numbers have now reduced drastically.

They charge their customers by the hour ranging from Rs. 600 per hour to Rs. 2,000 per hour. Currently there are around 30 lodges in the Pettah and Fort and they claim that based on the instructions of the police they do not rent rooms to anyone under the age of 18. Some of these lodges are in operation for over 50 years. These lodge owners claim that a list of customers is given to the Police on a daily basis, however, there is no guarantee that the information provided by these customers are correct.

It is also alleged that some of these lodges bribe the Police to escape being raided. The Sunday Leader was shown the log books of some of these lodges and according to the information in them the age of their customers is within the legal limit.

Weighing scales tampered

One of the most common sights seen in the Fort is fruit stalls. In some shops and stalls, grapes are sold from Rs. 600 per kilo upwards while in others grapes are sold for around Rs. 350 per kilo. However in these places it is almost guaranteed that the weight is tampered with. Consumers are lured by the low price and rarely check the weight of the goods. When we asked a trader who was selling grapes at 700 per kilo why his grapes were more expensive, he said “I don’t cheat on the weight and the lower price is for a lower weight.”

Sale of drugs

The sale of drugs along the streets of Fort and Pettah has been taking place for a considerable period of time. One drug addict told The Sunday Leader that drugs have become part of his life and that he was kind of wedded to drugs.

He has no home to go and no family to call his own. “There is nothing left for me to do and I cannot live without drugs. I work as a natamy and I live on the streets. In the evenings I take drugs and survive,” he said.

The previous government had a plan to develop Pettah and Fort as a bustling city. But today looking at the state of this area one cannot but feel disgruntled that after having spent so much the place is turning into a dump.

The floating market

The floating market was once a beautiful sight but today it is left to neglect and is in a dilapidated state. It is in darkness and there are no toilets and all waste is dumped into the Beira Lake. Sources said that the once magnificent floating market is not nothing more than a lodge which caters to the unscrupulous activities of the city.

When The Sunday Leader visited the area late at night young couples were seen in dark corners on the floating market. They cannot be prevented from frequenting this place as it is their right and freedom, yet it is a question of their safety. Today most of the shops at the floating market have been closed and the area is deserted making it an ideal spot for prostitution and drug sales.

Problem of safety in Fort

With many drug addicts, drunkards and unscrupulous characters roaming the streets of Fort it is certainly no place for a woman at night.

A woman has to think twice before walking the streets as her safety is at risk. There are five main spots in Fort. Even while we were on the streets to do this story, we too had to encounter some unpleasant incidents which clearly showed us that the fort streets were no place for a woman to be, especially at night.

Although the police are expected to patrol the streets at regular intervals and they claim they do, we only observed that the police patrol on the streets once in about three hours. Although it is the duty of the police to provide security round the clock, we never saw any policemen on the streets at the time we were there. Hence we felt that Fort was not a very safe place at night especially for females as there were no police on the streets either in the event they needed assistance or encountered any difficulties.

The city of Colombo is the main hub of all activities and it reflects the country’s progress and prosperity. Yet we did not see such progress when we walked the streets of Colombo’s main financial hub Fort.

The three wheelers too which we use to travel from place to place when we are in a hurry is getting worse by the day. The safety of especially females is in jeopardy as travelling in three-wheelers too has become unsafe. There is no standard and there is no mechanism in place to monitor these three-wheelers.

A mob consisting of around 30 Sinhala youths launched an attack on a Tamil housing colony of plantation workers at Alupola Estate of Ratnapura district in Sri Lanka’s Sabaragamuwa Province. At least six persons were reportedly injured in the incident when threatened Tamils resisted the aggressors by engaging in counter violence.

Consequent to the attack which occurred about 2 am in the night on April 17, 2013, much tension prevails in the area with the beleaguered Tamil minority living in the estates fearing retaliation from the Sinhala majority living in surrounding villages. Police are now patrolling the neighbourhood to maintain law and order.

Alupola Estate is situated in a picturesque valley between the Adam’s Peak wilderness sanctuary and Bambarabutuwe forest reserve. Alupola Estate comprises 306 hectares in area and grows high quality low grown tea. Its annual output is 1.2 million kilos of fresh green tea leaf.

Alupola is 28 km away from Ratnapura, the capital city of Sabaragamuwa province. Ratnapura meaning ‘City of gems’ is 101 km south east of Colombo city.

Most Tamil workers at Alupola Estate live in a housing scheme called ‘Thondamanpura’. It was so named after former Ceylon Workers Congress leader Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman who served as a cabinet minister in the Governments of former Presidents JR Jayewardena, Ranasinghe Premadasa and Chandrika Kumaratunga. The veteran trade unionist was regarded as the ‘plantation patriarch’ and was the grandfather of present minister and CWC leader Arumugan Thondaman.

The Alupola attack apparently had its origins in a musical show. There had been a musical show as part of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations at neighbouring Galbode Estate. Many from Thondamanpura had gone for it.

When Tamils were returning home after the musical show some Sinhala youths had cast lewd remarks at some of the girls. When Tamil youths protested racist remarks were made. Tamil youths had also responded with similar racist remarks. This led to a large crowd assembling and assaulting the Aluboda Tamil youths. Heavily outnumbered, the Aluboda Tamils had fled the scene.

Two Tamils were badly injured in the incident and had to take medical treatment at the Balangoda hospital. A 23 year old youth named Thamilselvan was admitted to hospital for serious injuries while the other youth Vijayakumar received treatment as an out patient.

The matter however did not end there. A mob of about 30 Sinhala youths from Wewalwatte had invaded Alupola Estate about 2 am in the night and attacked the ‘Thondamanpura’ housing scheme. Most of the youths were in an inebriated state. The mob had chanted racist obscene slogans and entered a few dwellings demanding that Tamils leave Ape Rata (Our Country) or face death. The mob also started assaulting some people.

Residents of Thondamanpura particularly Tamil youths had then offered resistance and engaged in counter violence. The mob had then retreated tactically and commenced a fresh attack from a distance.

A barrage of stones were thrown on the dwellings in Thondamanpura. The Tamils also retaliated by throwng stones back at the mob. After a while the violent exchange of stones ended and the Sinhala youths went away vowing to return with more persons and burn Thondamanpura.

The Alupola Estate Tamils then contacted a number of up country Tamil politicians, trade union representatives and religious leaders. They in turn contacted the Police at high levels. As a result a Police party went from Wewalwatte police station to the troubled area and exerted pressure on the hostile Sinhala residents to keep calm thus preventing further escalation of violence.

In a further development four Sinhala youths also obtained medical treatment at the Balangoda hospital for injuries sustained during the fracas at Alupola Estate when Tamil residents of Thondamanpura fought back against the aggressors.
Although further violence has been prevented due to the Police presence and an uneasy peace prevails the area remains tense with most Tamils remaining in their homes without venturing out.

What is worrisome in the situation is the fact that the attack on Alupola Estate is not an isolated instance in recent times. There has been a pattern in Ratnapura district of several attacks on Tamils living in the estates by Sinhala groups from surrounding villages.
According to a media statement by Mano Ganesan, former Parliamentarian and leader of Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) there had been an incident at Alupola Estate a few months ago when a Sinhala mob had attacked a Hindu temple in the area. There was an ongoing case in this connection and it is felt that the attack on Alupola Estate Tamils when returning from the Musical show at Galbode Estate was related to the previous enmity.

Apart from the Alupola and Galbode estate incidents Mano Ganesan also said that there had been a violent incident at Dolaswela estate in the Nivithigala division a few days ago. There had also been two more incidents at Lellopitiya and Gonakumbura estates in the Pelmadulla division a week ago. In all such incidents mobs from surrounding Sinhala villages had attacked Tamils living in estates. DPF leader Mano Ganesan also called upon CWC leader and minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development Arumugan Thondaman to take urgent action and ensure protection for the Tamils living in Kegalle and Ratnapura districts of the Sabaragamuwa province.

He said that special security measures were necessary as the Tamils in estates were a minority entity living amidst an overwhelming Sinhala majority in surrounding villages. Ganesan also drew attention to the fact that the CWC, DPF and Up Country Peoples Front had fielded a common list under the CWC cockerel symbol at the last Sabaragamuwa Provincial elections. A sizable number of Tamils had voted for the list despite intimidation and got two Tamils elected to the Provincial Council.

The Bodu Bala Sena said the people at the vigil should be arrested for distorting the national anthem

It all started with a Facebook group titled ‘Buddhists Questioning Bodu Bala Sena’. A tense situation developed last Friday (19) as members of this group gathered in front of the Buddhist Cultural Centre on Sambuddatva Jayanthi Mawatha. The people planned to hold a candlelight vigil in front of the building at 7 p.m. During the vigil, the gathering planned to chant stanzas from the Subashithaya, which deal with the concept of ‘Samma Vacha’ (translating as good/beneficial words) and a section of the national anthem.

It was meant to be a peaceful event, but it quickly spiraled into chaos.

Fifteen minutes before the vigil was even scheduled to start, police descended on the crowd and began abruptly detaining the people gathered.

The incident

Roshan and Thilina (names changed to protect privacy) both attended the vigil. According to them, police arrived on the scene even before the event was scheduled to start, and told the people gathered there that they could not light candles in front of the Centre (which also happens to be where the Bodu Bala Sena headquarters are located). Some Bodu Bala Sena members, including monks, came out of the building. Around this time, police abruptly detained two of the crowd for questioning.

The police then pushed the crowd back towards Perera and Sons on Havelock Road, Roshan and Thilina said.

A policeman on the scene then said the IGP had given the order to arrest everyone if they did not disperse. There were two police vehicles on the scene – and those attending noticed that the policemen were equipped with tear gas canisters.
At the same time, one of the people attending began to explain what the purpose of the vigil was to the media assembled, and the police began threatening to arrest him as the leader of the group.

“The police were very keen to find out who the leader of the group was, and repeatedly asked the leaders to come forward,” one of the people said. The crowd said there was no ‘leader’ and that they had gathered solely based on information from the Facebook page, as they did not want one or two people to become scapegoats. “Arrest all of us,” they said.

By this time, there was a crowd of around 150 people, far too many for the police vehicles, so it was proposed that the crowd walk to the Bambalapitiya police station. At Gower Street the procession stopped as the crowd refused to walk through dark by-lanes, saying they wanted to travel to the police station on the main road. The policemen began recording statements from the crowd, some of whom began to light their candles again.

At around this time around 30 Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) supporters, including Executive Committee member Dilanthe Withanage, arrived on the scene, eye-witnesses said.

Withanage began to abuse the crowd accusing them of being, ‘NGO kaarayas’ and ‘kotiyas,’ the vigil attendees said. The BBS supporters had further said the people gathered were ‘nightclub Buddhists’ as they were not wearing white and many did not have the ‘pirith thread’ on their wrists, Thilina said, before going on to accuse that many of the gathered were not Buddhists at all, but rather Muslims and Christians. They were also brandishing pieces of paper and saying that the people gathered were trying to change the national anthem, and calling for the police to arrest those gathered.

Meanwhile, the policemen told those gathered that if they did not douse their candles they ‘could not be held responsible’ for any harm that came to them, Thilina said.

The crowd had become agitated, but realizing that Withanage was trying to incite the crowd, they had not responded to the abuse.
Once again the police asked people to disperse, but the vigil attendees began lighting candles, at which point the police began physically assaulting them. One of the witnesses who spoke to The Sunday Leader said his candle was knocked out of his hand by the police officer who was recording statements. The officer then stomped on the candle, jabbed him in the stomach and threatened to break his hand if he did not stop. The crowd walked to Vajira Road and eventually dispersed.

In all, five people were picked up by Bambalapitiya Police, and taken to a couple of police stations. However several lawyers arrived to plead their case and they were all subsequently released. Police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardena in the immediate aftermath said that no one had been detained or arrested despite several witnesses saying they had seen five people being taken away before their eyes.
The ‘Buddhists Questioning Bodu Bala Sena’ Facebook page posted a statement shortly before 7 p.m. explaining that the vigil was not an anti-Bodu Bala Sena rally but only a peaceful vigil, adding that they had informed the Cinnamon Gardens police station beforehand and had received their support.

The Bodu Bala Sena’s Response

Executive Committee member Dilanthe Withanage said the Bodu Bala Sena had known about the vigil one day in advance. They had been planning a pirith ceremony at 6.30 p.m. but postponed it for fear of clashes, Withanage said.

The Bodu Bala Sena had also closed their office early at 4.30 p.m. in readiness for the vigil, he said. “The first thing these people should have done is written to us and come and met us… the first step should have been dialogue,” Withanage said.

Withanage further added that the vigil organizers had done something illegal as they had distorted the national anthem by only singing a part of it. He added that he had requested the policemen to arrest the vigil attendees as soon as they gathered as they were violating the Constitution.

In the aftermath of the incident, Withanage circulated a text to the media with a disturbing allegation. “Arrest fake Buddhists (who supported LTTE) who distort national anthem of Sri Lanka,” the text message read. Upon being asked what evidence the Bodu Bala Sena had that the people who attended the vigil were LTTE supporters, Withanage said that he was quoting an article published on the Colombo Telegraph website.
Several people wearing Bodu Bala Sena T-shirts took photographs of the people lighting candles, which were later circulated on Facebook. Withanage denied that the photographers were from the organization, saying that anybody could purchase a Bodu Bala Sena T- shirt. “It’s like purchasing an Adidas T-shirt,” he explained.

Vigil attendees’ photos circulated

Whoever the photographers were, pictures of the people attending the vigil soon spread to several Facebook pages, with unknown culprits revealing the identities of several of the protestors and even lifting photographs from their personal profiles. Many posted profane comments under these pictures, some even threatening to rape the women there or claiming that they were prostitutes. Others had labelled the attendees as not being Buddhist and then castigated them for attending. Even journalists covering the event were not spared; following the incident several news sites and journalists’ Twitter accounts were labeled as ‘Traitors’. One of the Facebook pages sharing these photos bore the Bodu Bala Sena name and logo, though it was not the Bodu Bala Sena’s official website – the site was later removed from Facebook.

Videographer Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai’s picture was circulated as well, although she was only covering the event in her capacity as a journalist. Kanagasabapathipillai said she was caught between the crowd and the police, and had been taking pictures. Tensions had been high and as she was one of the few women taking pictures she said it was possible the photographers mistook her for an organiser as well. Several people were videoing and photographing the attendees, including a man who was attempting to incite the police to arrest the crowd, although the crowd was remaining mostly silent.

Meanwhile, at least one of the victims said they would be submitting a report to the Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) following the incident.
Upon being asked if it was the Bodu Bala Sena who had circulated the pictures, Withanage said, “Officially, no.” The group was only responsible for the website ‘bbs.org’ he reiterated. He added that he had had several issues with people misusing the Bodu Bala Sena logo in the past, and that he had an inkling of the identity of these people. “I can guess that they belong to some of these other Sinhalese groups,’ Withanage said. ‘We completely disagree with circulating someone’s photos without their permission,’ Withanage said. He added that he himself had received threats following the incident with anonymous calls threatening to ‘destroy’ him. ‘We don’t do any harm although of course we will always fight against extremism,’ Withanage said.
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Withanage on Norway funding issue

On April 7, the website Asian Tribune interviewed Executive Committee member Dilanthe Withanage and alleged that the Bodu Bala Sena had received funding from Norway. Below is an excerpt of the interview:
Asian Tribune: There are some other things I have to ask you. It is about Mr. Arne Fjortoft. Also about the TV debate you had some time ago with Mr. Azath Salley in the Max TV. I think if I remember correctly, he asked you at the course of the discussion, whether Bodu Bala Sena is receiving funding from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo and also about the visit of the Norwegian Ambassador Ms. Grete Løchen along with Mr. Arne Fjortoft to the office of the Bodu Bala Sena, at Sri Sambuddathwa Jayanthi Mandiraya, located at Thunmulla Junction, Colombo and about five of your Buddhist monks visiting Norway.

I was told that during that debate you haven’t responded to those questions.

Mr. Dilantha Withanage: No I have replied to those issues he raised.
Asian Tribune: What did you say? Who are those five Buddhist Monks who visited Norway?
Mr. Dilantha Withanage: I can tell you. I think that was in 2010 … I think.
Asian Tribune: No, I think that was in October 2011.

Mr. Dilantha Withanage: I must check my passport, I can’t remember. May be on October 2011, but not happened in 2012. I know for sure, because after we visited Norway only we launched our Bodu Bala Sena on 07 May 2012.
Asian Tribune: You also went in that delegation to Norway.
Mr. Dilantha Withanage: Yes. I can give the names of those who were in our delegation that visited Norway. They are-

If you say that Bodu Bala Sena members went in a delegation to visit Norway, then it will be wrong. At that time there was no organization as such. They represented different organizations.

Asian Tribune: So these were the eight people including you who visited Norway in 2011. What were you doing in Norway?
Mr. Dilantha Withanage: In fact we were invited by one of the organization in Norway. In fact I have forgotten the name of the organization. Actually we visited Norway and had discussion with some of the Tamil friends there. I don’t know whether friends we met in Norway represented actually the section of the vociferous Tamil diaspora? Some of them we met, I learnt were supporters of the LTTE. You can say they are just a very small section of the Tamil diaspora. Then we visited some social organizations including a couple of Elders Home and we visited the Norwegian Parliament. We had meeting also with former Minister Erick Solheim. We also had meetings with some Norwegian Parliamentarians. Also we visited houses of some of the Tamil friends.

Withanage in response to questions from The Sunday Leader said that he had in fact answered the allegations in an interview with former Deputy Mayor of Colombo, Azath Salley on Max TV. He confirmed that a delegation had visited Norway but said that the group had received no funding during the visit, adding that the Bodu Bala Sena had not been in existence at the time of the visit.

Minister Mervyn Silva with Hasitha Madawala and The incident took place close to this motor vehicle

The acquittal of Malaka Silva in the case of the alleged assault on an Army Intelligence Officer, and the granting of bail to Sarath Edirisinghe alias Singappuru Sarath and Saman Nishaman two of the five main suspects in the murder of Hasitha Madawala (Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha member), implies that any suspected criminals connected to Public Relations and Public Affairs Minister Mervyn Silva are released in next to no time.

This has been evident in the past also, when Malaka Silva was accused of many acts of intimidation and unlawful behaviour, legal action was not taken because he is the son of Minister Mervyn Silva. The Minister’s mantle of protection extends not only to his kith and kin but to the near and dear friends of his offspring who have been accused of criminal acts.

The blight that is Malaka

Malaka is notorious for his intimidating behavior especially in nightclubs and it was not so long ago – on September 9, 2012 that he and his friend Rehan Wijeratne together with Ministerial Security Division (MSD) personnel went on a rampage in the JAIC Hilton car park where they assaulted an Army Intelligence Officer Major Chandana Pradeep and a Corporal.

Police report on the murder and Post Mortem Report

Although the video footage from JAIC Hilton’s CCTV has clearly shown how the army Major and the Corporal were attacked by Malaka, Rehan and the MSD personnel, it was evident that the Sri Lanka Army did not stand by their staff but followed a deaf and dumb attitude instead.

Although the Major first stated that it was Malaka, Rehan and some security officers who assaulted him and Malaka was accused of taking the Major’s service firearm and the mobile phone, due to pressure mounted on him by Minister Mervyn Silva, Major Chandana Pradeep had to submit an affidavit to courts claiming that he was not assaulted by Malaka and his group but by some other group.

“It is a well-known secret as to how Minister Mervyn Silva acted fast when it was reported that his son had assaulted an Army Major and that the army officer has sustained severe head injuries and was undergoing treatment at the Accident Ward of the National Hospital. If not for the complete turn the Army Intelligence Officer took because of the pressure from Minister Silva, it would have been a tough time for Malaka. Knowing what the consequences would be, Major Chandana Pradeep later submitted an affidavit claiming that it was not Malaka Silva that assaulted him and could not remember who his attacker was,” an army officer said on conditions of anonymity.

As a result of not having any evidence to prove Malaka’s involvement in the assault, the Attorney General (AG) advised the courts that there was insufficient evidence to proceed against Malaka, Rehan and the rest and as a result the court acquitted all the accused last week.
Malaka has an interesting record of assault and battery. In September 2007, Malaka was accused of assaulting Chaminda Senasinghe, brother of UNP Parliamentarian Sujeewa Senasinghe with a pistol butt at the Bistro Latino Restaurant. In that instance too no action was taken against the Minister’s son.

It was also reported in 2005, that Malaka together with two of the MSD bodyguards pleaded guilty to attacking Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officers who were on a drug raid at My Kind of Place at the Taj Samudra Hotel in 1995.

Malaka was charged with intimidation and obstruction of the PNB team which was on a narcotics raid with a court order on a tip-off to arrest an ‘Ecstasy’ dealer who was said to have been trafficking the drug at the hotel. The PNB officers who were in civvies were leaving the nightclub after the raid, when Malaka threatened them at gunpoint and assaulted them with the help of MSD bodyguards.
However the police later released Malaka and the MSD officers claiming that there was no evidence against them.
This has raised many questions amongst the general public.

“What would have happened to normal citizens in this country if they committed such crimes over and over again? Leave alone whether they would be allowed to go free without any charges being brought, can we expect bail to be granted for even a simple robbery. Even the law enforcement authorities now come under threat if they do not heed the instructions of politicians,” said an angry Attorney-at-Law in Kiribathgoda. To her, Malaka is a curse to the country. The manner in which Malaka Silva has gone on rampage on many occasions and how his father Minister Mervyn Silva has got him freed from the legal process using his political power is a bad example.

“This notorious son knows very well that whatever he does his father is there to rescue him. Imagine if Mervyn Silva is no more in power and his notorious son once again engaged in similar crimes, who will come to rescue him from this legal process? Had Mervyn Silva allowed the police to act impartially when his son first committed a crime and allowed him to serve in the remand for few years, he would have learnt a good lesson and would not have committed crimes repeatedly. A father of the caliber of Mervyn Silva is also a curse to the country,” she added.

Mervyn the scourge of Kelaniya

Meanwhile the 4th and 5th suspects of the Madawala murder Sarath Edirisinghe alias Singappuru Sarath and Saman Nishaman respectively were granted bail on Tuesday, April 2 by the Gampaha High Court Judge. Following this unexpected granting of bail, people in Kelaniya and Kiribathgoda are now living in fear that the suspects would exact revenge from them. Singappuru Sarath was the Parliamentary Affairs Secretary to Minister Mervyn Silva while Saman Nishaman was the Coordinating Secretary to the Minister.

Both Singappuru Sarath and Saman Nishaman were taken into custody for aiding and abetting the killers of Hasitha Madawala. People in the area alleged that it was Minister Mervyn Silva who had got these two suspects released on bail even though there is evidence that these two men were directly involved in Madawala’s murder.

“The 1st suspect Rangana Perera who killed Madawala had told the CID that it was his mother’s brother – Singappuru Sarath who had given him the murder weapon and wanted him to kill Madawala. According to Rangana the weapon which is a T 81/ 01 automatic machine gun was in the possession of Singappuru Sarath. Isn’t that alone concrete evidence to keep him behind bars rather than taking him as a state witness and granting him bail together with the 5th suspect,” queried a businessman in Kelaniya who wished to remain anonymous.

According to the source, Rangana had also told the CID that it was Saman Nishaman who had taken him (Rangana) and the motorcyclist who rode the motor cycle to kill Madawala to Negombo to a safe place following the assassination.

“It is said that the 5th suspect Saman Nishaman provided transport for the motorcyclist and the suspected killer to go into hiding in Negombo. It was also said that Singappuru Sarath had bought his nephew Rangana an air ticket to go to Singapore the following day and given him US$ 1000 for his expenses,” said the source.

Meanwhile according to the police ‘B’ report submitted to the Mahara Magistrate Court, the two helmets worn by the motorcyclist and the suspected killer at the time of the murder had been found at Samanala Restaurant in Kiribathgoda which is owned by Singappuru Sarath.

“The ‘B’ report further states that when Rangana Perera wanted his uncle Singappuru Sarath (to take both him (Rangana) and the 2nd suspect Ashen Chathuranga (the motorcyclist) to a hiding place, it was his uncle who had called the 5th suspect Saman Nishaman and asked that they be taken to Negombo,” said the source.

He further said that it was Singappuru Sarath’s brother-in-law (his sister’s husband) and father of the 1st suspect Rangana who had provided information on the whereabouts of Madawala.

“It is said Rangana’s father had followed Hasitha Madawala on this particular day in his yellow coloured Bajaj Three-wheeler bearing registration number WP QM 9614 and provided the information to his son Rangana so that he could assassinate Madawala,” the source added.

Furthermore the ‘B’ report stated that the murder weapon T 81/ 01 7.62mm together with two ammunition pouches and 49 bullets were found hidden in the ceiling of the residence of Rangana’s father.

Meanwhile questions have been raised as to how Mervyn Silva was able to get bail set for two of his close associates (the 5th and the 6th suspects) within 54 days of the murder.

“This was the same case with Ann Perera. She was taken into custody on the day of Hasitha Madawala’s funeral for keeping a hand grenade and two swords in her residence. Ann Perera in her statement to the police had stated that she bought the hand grenade and the two swords from one Harshana in Pethiyagoda for Rs.50,000. Although the suspect had originally admitted that she had these weapons in her possession it was a complete surprise when she was later released on the claim that she did not have any weapons in her possession. If Mervyn Silva does not allow the law enforcement authorities to carry out impartial investigations, it is up to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take stern action against Minister Silva,” the source said.

Meanwhile according to the Post Mortem Report on Madawala, three distorted bullets were recovered at the autopsy and sent to the Government Analyst for forensic analysis. The Report states that the killer had fired at Madawala’s chest and abdomen to kill him instantly.

A slippery slope to hell

Residents of Kelaniya and Kiribathgoda claim that since Mervyn Silva was removed from the post of Organizer and with the arrest of the murder suspects; prostitution, extortions and drug trafficking had declined considerably as the Kelaniya police was taking stern action against criminals.

“It is good that Kelaniya where Gautama Buddha once placed his feet is now returning to a peaceful city. From the time we heard that Singappuru Sarath and Saman Nishaman who were engaged in extortion, prostitution, murder and drug trafficking were bailed out we have been wondering whether the peaceful atmosphere we enjoyed for the past three months will come to a complete standstill. Will the police once again help these two suspects to engage in their illegal businesses with the backing of Minister Mervyn Silva? Unless these thugs are sent from Kelaniya it will be so difficult for us to save the younger generation,” the source said.
Meanwhile people in Kiribathgoda claim that Minister Mervyn Silva had wanted a leading departmental store to gift 1000 white saris to be given to 1000 kiri ammawaru recently.

“Mervyn Silva is the only Minister in the cabinet who does not carry a purse with him. Where ever he goes he will take whatever he wants free of charge. This time the Minister has gone to a leading departmental store and wanted 1000 white saris to be gifted to 1000 kiri ammawaru on his birthday, which fell on March 25. In addition he had asked Chairman, Peliyagoda Pradeshiya Sabah Nihal Ananda to provide 5000 pieces of milk rice. The Sweet House was given an order to provide all the sweet meats. Although all these people claim that Minister Mervyn Silva has promised to settle the bills it will never happen. This kiri danaya has been offered at the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya for 1000 kiri ammawaru and the chief guest was the First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa,” said the sources.

Army did not stand by its Intelligence Officer

It is a disgrace that the Army did not stand by its Intelligence Officer who did so much for the country especially during the war”.
An inside source in the Sri Lanka Army on condition of anonymity said that they were disheartened at the way the Army acted when one of their Intelligence Officers was severely beaten by Public Relations and Public Affairs Minister Mervyn Silva’s son Malaka Silva and former Minister Mano Wijeratne’s son Rehan Wijeratne at JAIC Hilton.

Following the release of Malaka Silva and Rehan Wijeratne without being charged, a high ranking army officer said that it was disheartening to see how the Army acted when Major Chandana Pradeep was assaulted.

“When the Army has the original copy of the JAIC Hilton CCTV footage which clearly shows how Malaka and his thugs were assaulting Major Chandana Pradeep and another Corporal why can’t the Army taken legal action? We saw the video footage and that is why I am saying that the assault was clearly visible. But I have a feeling that the JAIC Hilton may have deleted their copy” a senior army officer on condition of anonymity told The Sunday Leader.

According to him, the Army took a back seat when it was reported that the Major was at the JAIC Hilton to meet Nalin Fonseka who is a casino businessman in the country.

“Mervyn had apologized to Major Chandana Pradeep for what had happened to him at the hands of his son Malaka and promised to secure his job if he was willing to give an affidavit saying that Malaka was not involved in the attack. Knowing what would happen to him and his job, Major Pradeep gave an affidavit and did not identify the suspects at the identification parade,” said the source.
Meanwhile, according to the source, Major Chandana Pradeep had to face disciplinary action and his seniority has been reduced. “Although he worked as an intelligence officer who did so much for the country during the war, he has now been sent to Ceylon Light Infantry Unit (CLI) and is now serving in a camp supposedly somewhere in Vavuniya or Medawachchiya. This is what has happened to one of our brilliant intelligent officers,” the source observed.

Lack of employment opportunities is one of the main factors affecting the people of Killinochchiand One of the biggest issues affecting the majority of the farmers is the lack of water

Kilinochchi, a town that was most affected by the 30 year conflict in Sri Lanka is located in the heart of the Northern Province with a floating population of 135,605, many of whom were displaced in the conflict. These displaced families underwent severe trauma having lost many of their family members during the conflict. Even though the conflict ended, their current status has been a severe impediment to normalize their lives. This has been the main challenge in areas that suffered prolonged deprivation due to the war.

Having been an area that experienced intense fighting between the LTTE and the government forces during the war, landmines were the biggest obstacle faced in the resettlement process. Sri Lankan Army and UN-sponsored de-mining teams have however cleared 83% of mine-containing land in Kilinochchi, while 8% mine clearing activities and currently ongoing and 9% of the jungle area still remains to be cleared. Last year the mine clearance teams and the army recovered 31,505 small ammunitions, 701 grenades, 487 Anti Personnel mines, 1170 mortar ammunitions, 172 Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) and 3 unidentified explosive devices. In January alone this year 6,150 small ammunitions, 17 grenades, 20 AP mines, 35 Mortar ammunition, seven RPGs and one IED were recovered from the Kilinochchi area.

In total there was an area of 77,363,408 sq. metres to be demined, while of this 64,057,713 sq. m has been demined and a further 6,852,194 sq.m remains to be cleared.

Resettlement

Kilinochchi town, one time LTTE’s main administrative town, and its infrastructure facilities were completely destroyed by the LTTE when troops liberated the area in the final phase of the battle against terrorists.

The government has launched multi directional development projects including water supply, infrastructure development for education, infrastructure development for sports and entertainment, assisting and promoting trade and commerce, BOI projects, irrigation projects, fisheries industry projects, electricity supply projects, telecommunication, housing, and development of road projects.

The A-9, A -32, A-34, A-35, B-269, and B-357 road networks spanning 176 kms at an estimated cost of Rs. 15,096 million is currently underway, while the interior road networks too are being constructed in many areas.

In order to facilitate the resettlement process and provide better facilities for the resettled families in the Killinochchi district alone the government had spent Rs. 70,445.96 million for education, rail and road development, irrigation, housing and sanitary projects, electricity health services, postal and economic development projects. 42,580 families have already been resettled with the assistance of the government and several INGO and NGOs.

The security forces in Killinochchi have assisted in the resettlement of 22,023 persons in Poonakary, 65,723 persons in Karachchi, 23,366 persons in Kandavalai, 3,978 persons in Puthukudi Iruppu, 1874 persons in Manthai west, 9,742 persons in Thunnukai, 5,285persons in Oddusudan and 3,614 persons in Manthai east.

Land and farming

The main source of income for most of thepeople in this area is fishing and farming. In order to assist the fishing community the Australian government has funded a boat manufacturing project with the assistance of the fisheries ministry and the ILO. This project is carried out by the Poonakary fisheries cooperative society union. The manager of the boat yard Sinharasa Kiruba said that currently there are around eight youth employed at this boat manufacturing yard and it provides them a daily wage of around Rs. 800. The fibre glass fishing boats are sold to the local fishermen for around Rs. 500,000 in order to assist them.

However one of the biggest issues that is affecting the majority of the farmers in the area is the lack of water. The Kariyalanagapattuwa tank is the main irrigation tank that feeds the paddy cultivations in the Komalamunai, Kariyalanagarpattuwa, and Kallawarayankaddu divisional secretariat divisions. According to the farmers in the area if the tank is renovated it would enable the farmers to cultivate around 1,520 acres of paddy. Speaking to The Sunday Leader the president of the farmers association in Poonakary, Gnanasekaram saidthat all they ask is for the tank to be renovated so that they could make adecent living. “There is nothing else that we ask, except that this tank berenovated and given to us. If that is done it will certainly benefit around1,600 families in the area cultivate their lands.”

Land allocation is also an issue reaching serious levels of contention in the province. Issues relating to effective distribution, disparity in the distribution to new settlers and claims by those living abroad to traditional lands are issues that demand serious and immediate attention. One can not avoid the issue of land anywhere here. A young person approaching the authorities with a file relating to a land issues is in fact a common sight in these villages. From the minor roads to the AGA Office, the cries for more land and ownership are deafening.

The post war demand for land has risen many fold in the province as the settlers have now come back and desire cultivation as a main form of livelihood. A majority refuse land allocations less than an acre on grounds that as their families grow there would be little for distribution between children upon marriage. One farmer family claimed that it was not worth the effort to ‘even toil over a land unless there was at least two acres to begin with’ as the income would be few and far in between.

Government plans to distribute traditional lands to which Tamil people who now reside abroad but hold legal deeds to, is an issue that threatens any moves for peaceful co-existence within the community in a post-war scenario. Informed of moves to distribute such traditional lands, these legal owners have approached Grama Niladharis and demand that their rights are not impeded upon. The deeds denote large chunks of land that people fear the government may desire to block into smaller blocks for distribution among the resettled. People feel that any mishandling of this issue could lead to a greater deprivation that a reconciliation process as envisaged by the government may hamper.

Land issues have many diiferent faces in the North. Four youth who had arrived at the Nagathambiran Kovil festival from Palali, were concerned that land still held within the High Security Zones had affected their livelihood of farming. They express satisfaction that the war is over and there is freedom, but believe with restrictions on carrying out their livelihoods such as farming, life during peace times might entail the same difficulties of war.

“We need to be able to freely engage in farming. That is all we know. If we can go back to that and our lands are free we will be okay,” says one youth in the prime of his life. Understanding the needs of the youth in the war torn areas is a necessity that can not be overlooked. It is imperative that the government speeds up the process of land distribution so that room left for youth to question the validity of reconciliation measures is completely and effectively removed.

“Most of the farmers in this area had received lands in 1966 and they are able to cultivate on these lands. The newer settlers are given around half an acre of land, but we don’t grumble about that as we understand that there is no land available to distribute to all the people. However until such time the main priority is that the government provide us the water to cultivate our lands so that we can at least feed our families,” added Gnanasekaram.

During the recent floods around 690 acres of paddy land was destroyed, while the harvest from around 400 acres only was saved. “The farmers were badly affected due to this factor and many farmers had to suffer severe losses. If the tank is repaired and the farmers can cultivate all their lands, they could obtain about 300,000 kilos of paddy harvest. Another issue affecting the farmers is that while there is around 100,000 kilos of paddy stored in their storage facility, they have not been able to sell this stock of paddy to the traders as they are reluctant to come to this area due to the terrible road conditions. The traders claim that they have to replace many parts of their vehicles by coming on these roads and that makes it unprofitable for them. This situation has also affected the paddy process and we are today unable to even sell a kilo of paddy for a mere Rs. 23.”

It is clear that until and unless there is an efficient system of purchasing their produce in place, much of the benefits of peace will remain limited to the files. The reality of the needs of the people is very simple. To many of them assistance in the form of carrying out their traditional livelihoods such as farming, an efficient school system are sufficient grounds on which to accept normalcy in their lives. These are a people now ready to forget the past and get on with everything lost to them during a three decade war. But, they need the dignity with which to carry this out. They are insistent that handouts are replaced with assistance to get their lives back in place.

The people of Kilinochchi are today enjoying the luxury of freedom, and are more than content about their ability to finally be able to live in peace without having to worry about being killed or most importantly having to lose their children to the war.

For many mothers the anguish still continues as they still eagerly await the return of their missing children, as they are unable to put the past behind them as until today they still don’t know what happened to their children. They are hopeful that information on the fate of their children be afforded them so that they can lay rest the anguish and move forward. Many hold the faith that the children are alive and believe they will return.

One such mother, 48 year old Ramakrishnan Pushparani told The Sunday Leader that she is still unable to step out of her home for fear that her child might return and find her missing. “Every time I take my plate of rice to eat I think of my daughter, and wonder if she is in hunger or if she is dead or alive somewhere unable to return home. I have four daughters and one son, and in 2009

the LTTE abducted my older daughter Kanitha, but fortunately she managed to escape from them and returned home after five days. But the LTTE came looking for her and since she was in hiding they took away my second daughter Subadhira on the 13th of March 2009 and until today I am not aware of what happened to my child. She was only 17 years at the time she was snatched away from us and I cannot get on with my life as I still don’t know if she is alive or dead. This is a nightmare for me and her father,” she lamented.

For Pushparani and many other mothers not only in Kilinochchi but right throughout the country who still have no clear knowledge of what happened to their children the anguish continues. When the army decided to recruit Tamil girls from Killinochchi two of her daughters 21-year-old Kanitha and 19-year-old Keerthika decided to enlist. “However it was too much for my mother to handle and she was badly affected for fear of losing her children. Subsequently my younger sister decided to drop out, but I completed my training. Currently I am the only one in my family with a stable job, as my father too is a labourer. I want to educate my younger siblings and support them to achieve their dreams. Today we are free and that is the biggest joy for us, as we no longer have to live with the fear of being abducted or killed,” said Kanitha.

Lack of employment opportunities however is one of the main factors affecting the people of Killinochchi currently. While the government has invested heavily in rebuilding the infrastructure facilities in the area, and the security forces have ensured a peaceful existence for the people, they are still unable to make a substantial living to sustain their families. Many private entities have however come forward to assist the government in providing employment opportunities for the people of Killinochchi.

One such endeavour is the investment by MAS which will provide a conduit for assisting the youth of Kilinochchi to access the post-war economic boom of Sri Lanka. This will be yet another important milestone in MAS Holdings’ legacy in Sri Lanka. The huge factory being constructed in Killinochchi is said to be the largest of their factories with a capacity to provide recruitment to around 3,000 youth of the area.

However the main Tamil political party, the Tamil National Alliance says that apart from the fact that several main roads in Killinochchi being constructed, there has not been much done for the people. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran accuses the army of interfering in all the civil administrative functions of the area and says that nothing has changed. “The army involvement is ever present and until today school functions and all other civil functions the army plays a key role. We have raised our concerns regarding the army administration for the past four years. The government constantly denies the involvement of the army to the outside world, yet at each and every function and even the day to day lives of the people the army is present, and we vehemently disapprove of it,” he said.

Commenting on the development taking place in the area he said “the main roads such as the Paranthan Mulaitiv road, the Mankulam road and several other main roads are being constructed while some schools have also been developed and electricity provided to some areas. The government claims that they are reconstructing the infrastructure and hence developing the area. They are taking photographs of the things they do and showing it to the world claiming that everything is going smoothly. On the other hand the government recruited around 300 rehabilitated ex cadres to the Civil Defence Force and deployed themfor farming projects,” he said.

Premachandran also accused the government of manipulating these CSD personnel in organising demonstrations and other pro government activities. “Recently the army organised these CSD persons to hold demonstrations against the US and India, in Killinochchi and Jaffna. It is clear that the government is using these people for their own purposes. They are also intimidating the public and saying that unless they participate in these government sponsored activities, they will not receive any of the benefits. This is how things are moving in Killinochchi, while employment is a big problem in Killinochchi. There are around 400 volunteer teachers for the past four years, and the government as well as minister Douglas Devananda have given promises to these people that they will be made permanent. However so far nothing has been done, and they are simply using them for their own purposes giving them false promises. The government does not have any sort of program to improve the employment of this area,” Premachandran charged.

Meanwhile Security Forces Commander Killincochchi, Major General Udaya Perera claims that even though the army has taken measures to pull out of civilian activities, they are constantly called upon to carry out many of the tasks for the people. He said that while initially there were around 400 army deployments in the Killinochchi district, it has now been restricted to just 40.

The people of Killinochchi however say that they have no faith in the Tamil political parties in the area, but have high regard for the army personnel who they claim are there for them at all times.

P. Paalan a resident of Jayapuram south who is the president of the Poonaryn Rural Development Society claims that even though there is peace, they still fear that if the army pulls out of these areas there couldbe a resurgence due to the influences of foreign sympathisers. “We feel very comfortable with the army around, and considering what we have been through over the years, we are very fearful that certain groups would start-up problems. The army does not interfere with our lives, but they are just being there gives us a sense of security. It is they who assist us in every situation, be it agricultural, medical or any other emergency situation, they are always there to assist us. It is the army that assist us even in clearing the schools and constructing fences, clear the roads or even during a funeral they are the ones that are there to help us. The local government representatives are not available at every instance as they are most often residing in other areas and only come to the village on certain days allocated for meeting the public,” he said.

There are around 203 families consisting of 667 adults and 664 children residing in Jayapuram west , while over 300 families reside in Jayapuram north as well. Jayapuram is located around 44 from Killinochchi and is quite an isolated village. The roads are yet under construction and travelling on the existing roads is quite a challenging task.“Due to the condition of the roads, there is no proper bus service or any other mode of transport. During the war the people of Jeyapuram remained in their village, but as the fighting intensified they were evacuated to Mullivaikkal, while many others went to India and toward Colombo,” he said.

It is not hard to understand the harsh realities of what the innocents of these villages endured during a three decade war. Far removed from the lives enjoyed by many other parts of the country, these are a people who still suffer in innocent silence. They harbour much hope with the decision makers of relieving them from the inequalities thus far forced upon them. The impressive jargon and definitions of reconciliation holds little meaning to the farmer fighting the scorching sun, the six year old who has a one and a half hour walk to school or the young man left with no real form of employment. But, Kilinochchi is the perfect place for real reconciliation to start. The suffering these people have endured thus far demands little else…

6,170 families in four AGA Divisions headed by females!

The killinochchi district which is made up of four AGA’s divisions consist of around 39,296 families and spans over an area of 1237.11 square kilometres. Of the four AGA divisions Karachchi is the most populated with around 22,370 families consisting of 69,661 members residing in the area. Next is Kandawalai with 7410 families consisting of 23,898 members, Poonakary with a population of 6471 families consisting of 22,862 members and the least populated area being Pachchilaipalli consisting of 3,045 families including 10,192 members, according to a survey conducted by the District Planning Secretariat, District Secretariat, Killinochchi in 2012.

According to the Survey there are a total of 6,170 families in the four AGA divisions that are headed by females, while according to the statistics there are 140 widows under the age of 20, 490 widows between the age of 21 – 30, 1,031 widows between the age of 31 – 40, 1287 widows between the age of 41 – 50, 1,517 widows between the age of 51 – 60 and 1705 widows over the age of 60. These women were widowed due to 6,170 of their husbands being killed in violence, 350 killed in accidents, 2825 due to natural causes, 182 deaths due to natural disasters, 122 deaths due to suicide and 536 due to various other reasons.

In the Kilinochchi district it was revealed in the census that 4,814 families live with a meagre income of less that Rs. 1,500 per month. 1088 families live with a monthly income of between Rs. 1,501 to 5,000, while only around 268 families earn a monthly income of over Rs. 5000.

According to the census carried out in 2011 it was revealed that there are around 1,871 people in the Kilinochchi district who suffer from various forms of disability. In the four AGA divisions there are 844 disabled males, 555 females, and 1,537 children under the age of 18. Of these figures 832 persons were rendered disabled due to the war. The District Probation and Child care Services of Kilinochchi, 2411 children had lost either both or one parent during the war.

The General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena, Venerable Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera, said the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Moratuwa Police, should take full responsibility for the death of the Chief Incumbent of the Egoda Uyana Sunanda Upananda Temple, Venerable Matigahatanne Wimalawansa Thera.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader he said, “This senseless killing could have been averted if the OIC had taken appropriate action when the complaints were made. Hence, he should take full responsibility for the senseless killing of this monk, as it was due to his failure to take action that this dispute got out of hand. I don’t blame the entire police force as it would be wrong, but had this OIC taken appropriate action regarding over ten complaints made by Venerable Wimalawansa Thera, this incident could have perhaps been averted,” he charged.
Venerable Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera, said the incident that transpired at the Egoda Uyana Sunanda Upananda Temple where the Chief Incumbent Venerable Matigahatanne Wimalawansa Thera, had been brutally hacked and stabbed to death, is very unfortunate.“More than the fact that these people had encroached on temple land, the factor that perturbed the Chief Incumbent the most was the illegal activities that were taking place in these houses.

Illegal activities

He was very worried as it had become a place where drugs were being sold, and many other anti-social activities were taking place, and that is why he decided to seek legal action against them. According to the law, in instances where there is a land dispute between two parties, both could be served restraining orders through the Courts preventing them from entering each other’s premises. However, the police did not do this and even the perpetrators knew that the police would not take any action against them and that is why they kept threatening and harassing the monk repeatedly. The burning question is that after so many complaints why the police did not take any action. Even on the very morning of the day that the Chief Monk was murdered, he had lodged a complaint with the police that these thugs were threatening to kill him. The two main suspects and the others, who were responsible for the killing of the monk, had sworn on several occasions that they would kill Venerable Matigahatanne Wimalawansa Thera. On the day of the incident, the monk had appealed to the police to provide him protection to get back to the temple stating that he was afraid he would be killed. However, no police protection was given to the monk and as a result, the moment the monk entered the temple premises he was brutally killed. Therefore, I directly point the finger at the Moratuwa Police and the OIC in particular, for failing to protect this monk,” he said.
The General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena also said the perpetrators had behaved in such a manner due to the fact that the Deputy Mayor of Moratuwa was supporting them. “The deputy Mayor had also staged a protest opposite the temple, and the police were unable to do anything, as he was the Deputy Mayor. Hence, it is vital that this Deputy Mayor be sacked from his post as well. It is also vital to investigate if these suspects had committed this crime on the orders or instigation of the Deputy Mayor. If we take a look at the numerous crimes that have taken place lately, it has been established that there have been some degree of political involvement in these crimes. Therefore, it is of vital importance that the police investigate this incident thoroughly and prosecute those responsible irrespective of who they are,” Venerable Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera.
However, he also commended the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for their swift action in arresting the suspects and recovering of the weapons used in the killing. “As it is stated in the scriptures, those who commit crimes will have to pay for them, and the two main perpetrators were also slain the next day. Today many temples are facing these sorts of threats, and we would like to appeal to the Minister of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs and all relevant authorities, to ensure that these issues are looked into and such crimes never happen again. We are a Buddhist country and it is disturbing that such incidents, which were never heard of before, are taking place today,” he said.
Sequence of events
An eyewitness to the brutal killing of the Chief Incumbent of the Egoda Uyana Sunanda Upananda Temple, junior monk, Venerable Dikyaye Pangarathana Thera said the dispute had escalated around six months back, when the illegal occupants had attempted to acquire another four perches of temple land. Explaining the sequence of events that transpired that day, he said “We were returning after lodging the complaint at the police station. As we approached the temple, a mob suddenly surrounded the car we were travelling in and one of them stabbed the monk. In the heat of the moment I cannot be certain as to who actually stabbed the Chief Monk, but I vaguely remember the person as being Sujith Gunaratne. There were around eleven people in the mob and after the initial stabbing the monk got off the vehicle and ran, but after proceeding around 50 metres, he fell. The Chief Incumbent had high blood pressure, diabetes and various other ailments, and as a result tired very easily. I am not certain if he fell due to this reason or if it was due to the stab injuries. As I recollect, the monk was stabbed either in the head or the chest, it was such a nightmare and I was simply shocked and in a daze. Even the monk never actually expected these people to kill him, and only thought that they were simply threatening him in order to get him to withdraw his complaint. However, when the monk fell, the mob simply converged on him and began hacking and stabbing him. I am simply devastated as I could not help save the life of my beloved chief priest as they were holding me near the car at knife point. I tried to shrug them off and run to rescue the monk, but they stopped me and as a result I received these cut injuries on my hand. I identified the two main suspects Sujith Gunaratne and Randima Ruwanratne, but I can identify the rest of them if I see them,” he said.
Explaining the root cause of the dispute that led to the killing of the priest, the junior monk said the two suspects had built their houses illegally on temple land and had been residing there for over 25 years. “However, around six months ago, they had attempted to encroach and forcibly acquire another four perches that belonged to the temple, and that’s when our chief monk made the complaint with the Moratuwa Police. The Chief Priest had lodged over ten complaints, but the police took it very lightly, and failed to take action due to being influenced by the Deputy Mayor of the Moratuwa Municipal Council, Sujith Pushpakumara. Even when the monk complained about the death threats that were made on several occasions, the police would come and conduct an investigation and arrest the suspects, however, they would be released after a few days and that was the end of the investigation,” he said.
The junior monk also said there were about four families living in the illegally built houses and had heard the Chief Monk mention that these people were engaged in other illegal activities such as dealing in drugs. “That is why the Chief Priest was adamant to get them out of here and save the other residents of the area from harm. This incident occurred at around 8.15 or 8.20 pm last Sunday. The Deputy Mayor protected these perpetrators due to the fact that they assisted him during his election campaign. Around four or five times several of the Deputy Mayor’s men came to the temple and threatened our Chief Monk, but he never thought that these thugs would kill him. There are only three monks residing at this temple including me,” said the junior monk Venerable Dikyaye Pangarathana Thera.

Mob justice

The houses that were built illegally in the temple premises had been demolished by mobs after the killing of the Chief Monk, and the other family members had fled the area. However, on Wednesday the relatives of the two suspects who were found killed, had arrived at the Wadduwa Police Station and claimed that they had no way of taking the bodies home for fear that they would be attacked. They had told police that their lives too were in danger and sought police protection in order to take the bodies of Sujith and Randima for burial. They also claimed that they had no place to take the bodies to conduct the funeral as their homes were completely destroyed. They had also told police that they had lived there for around 30-years and now that their homes were destroyed, they were left destitute. According to Police Spokesperson, SSP Prishantha Jayakody, however, there have been only around six complaints made to the police by Venerable Matigahatanne Wimalawansa Thera, and four of them had been investigated and Court cases filed, while two of the complaints were directed to the Mediation Board. “Therefore, it is not fair to say that the incident occurred due to the inability of the police to take appropriate action. We have now arrested even the Deputy Mayor and investigations are continuing. By Wednesday, another seven suspects had been taken into custody by the police, and three swords used in the killing have also been recovered,” he said. The Deputy Mayor of Moratuwa Municipal Council, Sujith Pushpakumara, was arrested last Monday (04) and subsequent to being produced in Court, he was remanded until 14 February together with the other seven suspects.
The bodies of the two main suspects Sujith and Randima, were found in the Bandaragama area with gunshot injuries on the same day that the monk was killed.
The funeral of the slain monk took place on Thursday amid a large gathering of devotees who patronised the temple.

The middlemen and nadiyas struggling hard to purchase vegetable for a bargain price

Farmers allege that the mafia of middlemen at the Dambulla Economic Centre has become a bane and is the main cause for the skyrocketing vegetable prices in the open market.
Vegetable farmers have fallen from the frying pan to the fire by being compelled to sell their vegetables at a lower price due to the middlemen mafia and they are up in arms against the Economic Centre Management Trust for the failure to eliminate this issue over the years.
According to these vegetable farmers, the sole intention to introduce the economic centre concept was to get a good price for them by selling their product straight to the wholesale trader.
“Although it was as such, there are no wholesale traders in this market, but instead it is the middlemen who operate the boutiques and businesses. After the entry of a set of brokers known as nadiyas between us and the middlemen, the situation has worsened and we do not have any choice to decide the prices for our products as it is in the hands of the nadiyas. We assume that it is the middlemen that operate the nadiya in order to get our products for a cheaper rate,” Chaminda said.Chaminda had brought brinjals from Anuradhapura, but was determined not to sell the stock for a lower price. “After toiling hard to make the vegetable beds and then to water and manure the plants, I was asked to sell brinjals for Rs.110 per kg. If I won’t get at least Rs.130, I will throw the stock to the Habarana jungle for the wild elephants, but will not sell for a pittance,” Chaminda added.
According to the farmers who have come from far away to sell their vegetable at the Dambulla Economic Centre, this ‘broker’ mafia has deprived them from selling their vegetables for a competitive price instead of a price that they (brokers) decide.
Hence the farmers have decided not to sell their vegetables to these nadiyas last Wednesday. As a result, work at Dambulla Economic Centre was at a complete standstill in the morning session. However, the middlemen and nadiyas were seen trying their utmost best to purchase the vegetable stocks that were piled on lorries, but to no avail.
However, some of the farmers said there is no option, but to sell their products to the middlemen for the prices given as they (farmers) are in debt to them.

Cycle of debt

“We are in debt to some of the middlemen. The deal is to give our product to them – be it for a lesser price or not. We do not have any other option, but to take loans from these middlemen in promise to give them the products. If not for their assistance we cannot survive, as we do not get a proper price for the vegetables. Although we get an encouraging price at this moment, most of the time during the other months, there are a countless number of times when we incurred heavy losses. If the government can give financial assistance to uplift the farmers we do not need to sell the vegetables at a pittance to these middlemen,’ Bandula said.
Although the actual price of a kilo of beetroot and leaks were Rs. 90 and 80 respectively, Bandula had to sell beetroot for Rs.60 and leaks for Rs. 50 per kg.
‘There is no other option, but to sell these vegetables to waive off the debts,’ Bandula said.
The farmers further accused the middlemen of taking a commission from them even though the vegetables are bought for a lower rate.
“For each Rs.100 we have to give a commission of Rs.5. For Rs.60 three rupees commission, for Rs.30 two rupees commission and if it is less than Rs.30 a five rupee commission. At the end of the day it is these middlemen that earn more than those who work hard to cultivate vegetables,” Chaminda said.
Meanwhile, middlemen and nadiyas too were up in arms against the farmers during the morning secession on Wednesday claiming that they do not bargain the prices as told by the farmers. However, in the afternoon the businesses were back to normal as the farmers decided to sell their stocks for a lesser amount.
Middlemen and nadiyas were happy to purchase the stocks for a bargain and added, “We never bargain as said. But true, we buy the bags of vegetables for a lesser amount mainly to avoid losses. We give a price for vegetables looking at the outlook of the vegetables in the gunny bags. Once it is bought and vegetables are taken out, there are many rotten vegetables hidden in the middle which we could not notice. No one will buy those rotten vegetable and we have to bear the losses. That is why we buy the stocks for a lower price and sell them back to cover up the losses. That happens everywhere. Even a government project too goes through many parties. This is our job because we do not want to engage in illegal businesses like certain politicians in the country. They engage in many illegal businesses, but who talks against them? If the poor people do something to make a living it is talked about everywhere.’
However, Kamal a middleman said that they have had to bargain prices to survive in the business.

The woes of vegetable farmers

“We have to pay a monthly rental of Rs.14,300 for each boutique. Those who are in AC rooms accuse us of manipulating the vegetable prices, but they do not know how we struggle to pay the rental and earn to live. When vegetable prices go up they shout at us, but when the prices go down, they take the credit and go on TV saying they managed to bring down the cost of living. Do they ever think about us? Do they know how much we incur losses most of the time?” Kamal questioned.
The woes of vegetable farmers were very pathetic. They have repeatedly requested the government officials in their areas to get them kerosene subsidies, as they have to spend lot of money to pump water for their cultivation, but their requests have fallen on deaf ears.
“We are battling hard. There is no one to look after us although there is an Agriculture Ministry. These officials are there to warm their seats, but not to look into our grievances. When we get an opportunity to sell our products for higher prices, they appoint committees. But when our vegetable are sold for pittance there is no commission appointed to see as to why the prices have come down,” Mahanama alleged. “Although the government can give a fuel subsidy to the fishermen we are a forgotten lot,” Mahanama said.
However, N. G. Kularatne (Walapane) was determined not to sell his stocks for a pittance.
“I bought carrots from farmers in Nuwara Eliya for Rs.75 and unless I sell them for Rs.1,20 I will be the looser. I have to pay the lorry Rs.25,000 and the labourers to uproot and clean the carrots. Even if I sell a kilogram for Rs. 120 there is a very narrow profit. If not for these nadiyas, the middlemen cannot bargain our stocks for such a lower rate,’ Kularatne said.
S.M. Weerasekera and S.M. Samaraweera were brothers who brought capsicums and carrots from Thispane, Kotmale. However they were happy, as they were able to get a better price for their vegetables since December.
“Some seventy percent of our cultivation was destroyed due to heavy rain last month. Since the supply is less due to the demand, we have been able to get good prices for our crops. But that is temporary. By mid February, once bumper stocks of vegetables start coming to the market, we have to find ways and means to survive as most of the months in the year we are incurring losses. We can have hopes during mid December to mid February and then during the New Year week in April, May and June. Rest of the months we are suffering,” the two brothers said.
Claiming that there is a move to increase the prices of fertilizer, Samaraweera said there is a fertilizer scarcity in the market and a rumour that the government is going to increase the fertilizer prices in the near future.

Questioning the ‘wonder of Asia’

“There is no urea available and a scarcity in other fertilizers. Before 2008 we had to pay Rs.5,300 for a bag of 50kg fertilizer. After the subsidy was given it went down to Rs.1,300. Instead of uplifting the standard of the farmers and giving more facilities to produce more, the government through Divi Neguma, is giving packets of vegetable seeds to each family in the country which is a mere ‘show off.’ Any one will take if given free, but how many will make the maximum use of this? Instead, why couldn’t they provide more facilities for us? At least why won’t they allow us to sell our products without the interference of these middlemen and nadiyas? It is the ruling party area politicians that have to be blamed for this nonsense at the economic centre,” Samaraweera added.
Meanwhile, Dharshana said the farmers have now refused to follow government guidelines to transport vegetables in plastic boxes.
“Prices of these boxes range from Rs.1,800 to Rs.1,900 and not more than 18 to 19 kilo grams can be put into them. When we pack the vegetables in gunny bags at least 28- 35kg can be packed in each. Not more than 50 boxes could be brought at once in a lorry, but we can bring nearly 75- 90 bags in a lorry at once. Packing vegetables in boxes is a good concept provided we are given free transport by the government. We now manage to bring our crop in one or two lorries, but if we have to transport the vegetables in boxes, this load has to be transported at least in five lorries. The government is making all efforts to trample the farmers with various unsuccessful methods,” Dharshana said.
Accusing the government of not having a proper vision, Dharshana queried whether this is the ‘wonder of Asia’ and accused Minister Janaka Badara Tennakoon, of allowing his henchmen to bargain and purchase the vegetables and fruits from the farmers.
“The ‘wonder of Asia’ is to trample the people by a number of ways and means and loot public money, running into billions, by the powerful. This government does not have a proper vision to take this country forward. Now the Cabinet of Ministers has been increased. Who is going to maintain such a large cabinet? It is from our money that they have to be maintained. The more they increase the Cabinet, the more the cost of living goes up. Who is to be blamed for this? Why cannot the Consumer Affairs Minister look into this and stop the middlemen and nadiyas from operating at the economic centre?” Dharshana questioned.
Divisional Secretary Dambulla, H. P. P. A. Hewapathirana, who is a member of the Economic Centre Management Trust, said she did not know about the nadiya and middlemen’ involvement in deciding vegetable prices and has not received any such complaints.
“If I were informed I would have brought this up at our meetings and would have settled the matter. Unless there is a complaint we cannot take any action. Let them complain to us about any future action,” Hewapathirana said.
Neither the Lands Minister, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, nor Consumer Affairs Minister, Johnston Fernando, were available for comments nor did they respond to text messages.

The metal crusher in full swing, Forest Rock Garden Hotel under construction and Rasika Ekanayake’s metal quarry filled with water

Hundreds of acres in the Andarawewa Forest Reserve in Nochchiyagama have been grabbed by powerful politicians in the North Central Province with the alleged connivance of the Mahaweli Authority.
The Andarawewa Forest Reserve is 1,050 acres in extent and comes under the purview of the Mahaweli Authority. It is situated within the Mahaweli ‘H’ zone and was declared as a wildlife protection zone in 1982 and is one of the main elephant corridors in the country.
Although unauthorized entrance, removal of timber, clearing the jungle and even to construct roads within this wildlife protected zone is strictly prohibited, it is alleged that the former Resident Project Manager of Mahaweli ‘H’ zone has allowed the politicians to grab land from this frost reserve without any restrictions.
Environmentalists and villagers are up in arms against Agrarian Services and Wildlife Deputy Minister S. M. Chandrasena and Irrigation and Water Management Deputy Minister W. B. Ekanayake for grabbing the reserve lands, which is an elephant corridor.
According to them, hundreds of acres from Andarawewa Reserve have been grabbed by these two politicians and distributed amongst their cohorts and relatives without considering the environment impact and the bio diversity of the virgin forest.
“There was a time when the Resident Project Manager Mahaweli ‘H’ zone Asanga Gunathilake took stern action against the villagers when they went to the reserve to collect firewood. Although it was as such, later on he allowed Deputy Ministers Chandrasena and Ekanayake to grab hundreds of acres without any restrictions,” said the angry villagers.
The villagers further alleged that 20 acres have been given to the Udamaluwe Hamuduruwo in Anuradhapura to prevent the villagers from agitating against the land allotments.

Letter from the Presidential Secretariat to the Director General Mahaweli Authority and Deputy Minister S. M. Chandrasena

“Although Udamaluwe Hamuduruwo did not ask for any land from this forest reserve, still the Mahaweli Authority and these politicians gave him 20 acres of land. They may have thought that the villagers would stop the agitations once lands were given to this monk as well. However we are not ready to stop our agitations. Instead we are strictly against this Buddhist monk as well for obtaining land from the forest reserve which was reserved only for the wild life but not for humans,” said Arunashantha – a representative of a farmer organization. According to these farmer organizations and villagers in Andarawewa, the human-elephant conflict has now become a big threat as several villagers have come under attack from elephants.
“As a result many lives have been taken away by the wild elephants that come to the village in search of food,” said the villagers.
Although environmentalists claim that more than 48 acres of the virgin forest have been given to Baladurayage Chandrasiri, owner of Palm Garden Hotel, Anuradhapura on the directives of Deputy Minister S. M. Chandrasena, villagers and farmer associations confirmed to The Sunday Leader that more than 100 acres had been given to Chandrasiri on two occasions to construct the Forest Rock Garden Hotel.
“During the elections, it was the Palm Garden Hotel that provided the food for S. M. Chandrasena’s campaign. It is also a known fact that Chandrasiri is an ally of Deputy Minister Chandrasena and has spent several lakhs of rupees for his election campaign. To compensate for what Chandrasiri did during the previous elections, S. M. Chandrasena got more than 100 acres from Andarawewa Reserve not considering the public agitations. Earlier 50 acres were given and another 50 was given at the second stage,” said Arunashantha.
Director Environment Conservation Trust Sajeewa Chamikara said all construction work of the Forest Rock Garden Hotel was suspended on October 14, 2010 due to strong public protests and the owners were ordered to conduct an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) as per the gazette notification No: 722/ 22 of June 24, 1993 under the provisions of National Environment Act No: 47 of 1980.
“An extremely weak EIA was done based on a one-day field visit. This report has not mentioned about the elephant corridor and the wildlife habitat. Although more than 50 comments were submitted they were rejected by the CEA stating they were submitted after the lapse of the 30 day deadline. As a result the CEA gave approval for an improper and deficient EIA,” said Chamikara.
Meanwhile, a senior employee at the Mahaweli Authority in Thambuttegama on conditions of anonymity told The Sunday Leader as to how the Resident Project Manager of Mahaweli ‘H’ Zone and the area politicians instructed the Grama Niladhari Officers to give clearance to ‘develop’ the Andarawewa Reserve.
“Since these Grama Niladharis were from that area they did not want to see any destruction to this reserve and did not want to give the clearance to these encroachments. But later they were forced to give their clearance as not only the politicians but also our Resident Project Manager pressurized them. This reserve comes under Mahaweli Authority and we do not want to dance to the tunes of these politicians. But it was pity as to how the Mahaweli Authority allowed these politicians to grab the wildlife protected land and deprive the elephants of their natural habitat,” added the source.
According to him, the Mahaweli Authority on the instructions of S. M. Chandrasena allowed the Forest Rock Garden Hotel to be constructed ignoring the regulations imposed by the National Environmental Act No: 47 of 1980.
“Knowing that it is illegal to carry out any development work within the forest reserve without the proper approvals, the Mahaweli Authority had to give permission to Forest Rock Garden Hotel on the instruction of Deputy Minister Chandrasena. It was the same with the three metal quarries as well. They too were allowed to blast the rocks ignoring the regulations of the National Environmental Act,” said the sources.
According to sources, on the instruction of Chandrasena and Ekanayake, roads were constructed clearing the jungle by uprooting huge trees using heavy vehicles disrupting the wild life.
Meanwhile, Arunashantha said that all attempts to stop these encroachments fell on deaf ears and added that although the Additional Secretary to President, Anton Perera in a letter dated September 2, 2010 to Director General Mahaweli Authority instructed to take immediate action against these illegal encroachments, nothing had been done to stop the process.
“We wrote to the CEA, to the President, Human Rights Commission and the Director General Archaeology Department but to no avail. All have fallen deaf ears,” said Arunashantha.
However, more than 30 acres of land from the forest reserve have also been given to E.K.P.M.R.R.G. (Rasika) Ekanayake Member of the Manupe Pradeshiya Sabha who is the son of Water Management and Irrigation Deputy Minister W. B. Ekanayake.
“This land was given to Ekanayake for a metal quarry which is of archaeological value. The granite is removed with the help of backhoes and other heavy machinery round the clock. These noises have left the wild animals away from the Andarawewa Forest Reserve and their lives are at stake. It is disheartening to note as to how the Department of Wildlife Conservation is not taking any action against these encroachers. It is merely because S. M. Chnadrasena is the minister in charge,” said Arunashantha.
However according to Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) three Industrial Mining licenses have been given on the recommendation of the Mahaweli Authority and the Central Environmental Authority to Rasika Ekanayake, his wife and W. P. Wickremasinghe.
“We issued three licenses each to Rasika Ekanayake, Ms. Bandara (Rasika Ekanayake’s wife) and W. P. Wickremasinghe,” said Hema Liyanarachchi, Registrar GSMB.
When The Sunday Leader visited Andarawewa Forest Reserve, it was evident as to how constructions of the Forest Rock Garden Hotel were being carried out destroying the forest reserve and how much damage has been done to the forest by the three metal quarries.
Heavy machinery to crush the metal were seen at work making a loud noise. Rasika Ekanayake’s quarry, which is more than 50 meters deep, was full of water due to heavy rains.
Although Ekanayake’s quarry was not in operation on that particular day, the other two were in full operation. More than 2.5 km long road has been constructed within the forest destroying large trees. These trees were fallen on the side of the road and random security check points were established within the forest to check who entered the forest reserve. Although permission was not granted for our vehicle to go near Rasika Ekanayake’s metal quarry, we still managed to go through these check points disguising ourselves as buyers.
When we spoke to Rasika Ekanayake’s security men to get more information about the quarries, they confirmed that one quarry was leased out to Access Engineers and the other quarry belonged to a senior powerful government minister.
“We have been told that the other quarry belonged to a powerful minister. The first quarry you have passed belongs to Madam (Ekanayake’s wife). Since the two quarry pits are filled with water due to heavy rains we are not doing any work these days. If you want to place an order speak to Ekanayaka manthree thuma,” said one security guard.
When Rasika Ekanayake was contacted to find out as to how he was able to obtain two allotments for metal quarries, Ekanayake said that he had to bribe the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), Mahaweli Authority and the Central Environmental Authority officers to get the permits to operate the quarries.
“We have taken these two quarries on a lease agreement. We crossed over from the UNP to this government not for personal gains but to strengthen the hands of the President to win the war. We only get our salary nothing else. That much we have sacrificed our lives in order to give a good life to the people,” said Ekanayake.
When asked as to why he bribed the government officials knowing that it is an illegal act, Ekanayake appeared to be offended.
“Are you wearing clothes to pose such questions to a respectable politician like myself?” asked Ekanayake and disconnected the line abruptly.
Refuting allegations Baladurayage Chandrasiri said that he got the EIA done following the proper procedure. “The environmentalists are against this project and that was why they are levelling baseless allegations. I have not destroyed the forest but have taken steps to preserve it,” said Chandrasiri.
Meanwhile, Agrarian Services and Wildlife Deputy Minister S. M. Chandrasena when contacted said that there was nothing wrong to carry out development work in a forest reserve.
“When the country is targeting to attract more tourists to the country, we need more hotels to provide accommodation. This particular hotel has not damaged the forest but has protected the environment. Why cannot you visit this area and see how nicely this hotel has been built,” said Chandrasena.
Resident Project Manager of Mahaweli Authority Thambuththegama R. B. Sirisena when contacted to know as to on what basis these lands had been allotted, said that he could not make any comment over the phone.
“I cannot give any details in this regard. Even I do not have any powers to talk to the media. If you come to my Thambuththegama office I can consider whether I will talk to you or not. Talk to our DG for any details,” said Sirisena.
Director General of Mahaweli Authority Gamini Rajakaruna too did not wish to make any comment but wanted this newspaper to forward him an e-mail with the questions. However, Rajakaruna did not reply to the e-mail sent by The Sunday Leader